With the departure of the Greys last week from Owen Sound, there’s been more chatter about the club this week than in the last 6 years combined.
Among the common topics of discussion, and among the truly unfortunate aspects of their departure, is the coinciding departure of opportunity.
Could Joel Ward or Chris Minard, to use two examples, have advanced to the level they did in pro hockey without the Greys ? Maybe, maybe not.
What of Scott Stajcer ?
And I got thinking about Curtis Sanford and his junior days.
The Owen Sound native who tended goal for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL this year is a rarity as it pertains to his Junior Hockey days.
Sanford played Junior C for the Wiarton Wolves.
He played Junior A at Collingwood for the Blues
He played a little bit for the Greys in Junior B before advancing to the OHL with the Platers.
The Wiarton Wolves are long gone. Collingwood has no Junior Hockey. And now, just days ago, the Greys were shifted to the Greater Toronto Area.
Without those stepping stones in Wiarton, Collingwood and Owen Sound now, will there ever be an opportunity or a story like Curtis Sanford’s ?
I’m Fred Wallace